On fasting

(Grace Notes March 2005)

The Holy Scripture appoints no time under the New Testament to fast, but leaves it to Christians’ own free choice (Romans 14:3; 1 Corinthians 7:5) to fast as occasions shall be offered to them (Matthew 9:15): as when a man seeketh God for the pardon of some gross sin committed; or for the prevention of some sin to which a man feels himself solicited by Satan; or to obtain some special blessing which he wants; or to avert some judgement which a man fears, or is already fallen upon himself or others; or, lastly, to subdue his flesh to his spirit, that he may more cheerfully pour forth his soul to God by prayer. Upon these occasions a man may fast a day or longer, as his occasion requires, and the constitution of his body and other needful affairs will permit (Leviticus 23:32; Joshua 7:6; Esther 4:16).

In this action thou must deal plainly with God, and acknowledge all the sins thou knowest, not only in general, but also in particular (1 Samuel 7:6; Daniel 9). The plainer thou dealest in this respect with God, the more graciously will God deal with thee; for if thou dost acknowledge thy sins, God is faithful and just to forgive thee thy sins; and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son shall cleanse thee from all thy sins.

First, a fervent and faithful begging of God, to seal, by his Spirit in thy heart, the assurance of the forgiveness of all thy sins. Secondly, to renew thy heart by the Holy Ghost, so that sin may daily decay, and righteousness more and more increase in thee. Lastly, in desiring a supply of faith, patience, charity, and all other graces which thou wantest, and an increase of those which God has bestowed upon thee already.

A day of fasting, and not fasting from sin, the Lord abhorreth. It is not the vacuity of the stomach, but the purity of the heart, that God respects. For what shall it profit a man by abstinence to humble his body, if his mind swell with pride? Or to forbear wine and strong drink, and to be drunk with wrath and malice? Or to let no flesh go into the belly, when lies, slanders, and ribaldry, which are worse than meat, come out of the mouth?

The good works which as a Christian thou must do every day, but especially on thy fasting day, are works of piety to God and charity towards thy brethren. The works of charity towards our brethren are: forgiving of wrongs, remitting debts to the poor that they are not well able to pay; but especially in giving alms to the poor that want relief and sustenance (Isaiah 58:6; Zechariah 7:9-10.) Else we shall, under pretence of godliness, practise miserableness.

As, therefore, Christ joined fasting, prayer, and alms together in precept, so must thou join them together, like Cornelius, in practice. And therefore be sure to give at least as much to the poor on thy fasting day as thou wouldst have spent in thine own diet, if thou hadst not fasted that day. And remember, He that soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously (2 Corinthians 9:6), and that this is a special sowing day. Let thy fasting so afflict thee, that it may refresh a poor Christian; and rejoice that thou hast dined and supped in another; or rather, that thou hast feasted hungry Christ, in his poor members.

In giving alms, observe three things:

1. They must be done in obedience to God’s commandments: not because we think it good, but because God requires us to do such and such a good deed; for such obedience of the worker God prefers before all sacrifices, and the greatest works (1 Samuel 15:22).

2. They must proceed from faith, else they cannot please God. Nay, without faith, the most specious works are but shining sins and Pharisees’ alms.

3. Thou must not think by thy good works and alms to merit heaven; for in vain had the Son of God shed his blood, if heaven could have been purchased either for money or meat. Thou must therefore seek heaven’s possession by the purchase of Christ’s blood, not by the merits of thine own works. Yet every true Christian that believes to be saved, and hopes to come to heaven, must do good works.

The true ends of fasting are not to merit God’s favour or eternal life, for that we have only by the gift of God through Christ; nor to place religion in holy abstinence, for fasting in itself is not the worship of God, but a help to us the better to worship God. But the true ends of fasting are three:

First, To subdue our flesh to the Spirit; but not so to weaken our bodies, as that we are made unfit to do the necessary duties of our calling. A good man, saith Solomon, is merciful to his beast (Proverbs 12:10), much more to his own body.

Secondly, That we may more devoutly contemplate God’s holy will, and fervently pour forth our souls to him by prayer (Joel 2:17; Luke 2:37). For as there are certain kinds of devils, so there are also certain kinds of sins, which cannot be subdued but by fasting, joined to prayer (Matthew 17:21).

Thirdly, That by our serious humiliation, and judging of ourselves, we may escape the judgement of the Lord (Joel 2:18-19; 1 Corinthians 11) – not for the merit of our fasting (which is none), but for the mercy of God, who has promised to remove his judgements from us, when we by fasting unfeignedly humble ourselves before him. And indeed no child of God ever sincerely used this holy exercise, without obtaining his request at the hand of God; both in receiving graces which he wanted, and also in turning away judgements threatened, or already fallen upon him.

He who gave his dear Son from heaven to the death, to ransom us when we were his enemies, thinks nothing too dear on earth to bestow upon us, when we humble ourselves, being made his reconciled friends and children.